BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NOXXON Pharma today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial for NOX-H94, the Company’s third compound to enter the clinic. NOX-H94 is a Spiegelmer® designed to treat anemia of chronic disease by targeting the peptide hormone hepcidin, the key regulator of iron metabolism. Hepcidin is up-regulated by acute and chronic inflammatory reactions resulting in “iron restriction”, which means that iron is blocked inside cellular stores and not available for hemoglobin synthesis1. This is in contrast to “iron deficiency”, in which iron stores are depleted.